Wedding videos are lovely mementos of your special day. That’s why you should put in a little more effort into planning your perfect video. Below are 2 easy steps for you to follow as you look for a suitable videography package.
Photo by Winson Cinematography
Step 1: Select Your Preferred Videography Style
Many videographers specialize in one or two styles, so when you pick the style you prefer, you are narrowing down your list considerably. With less packages to compare, you have more time to look through each portfolio. It is good to note that the journalistic and the express highlight styles tend to be straightforward, whereas the artistic, cinematic and storytelling styles are more dramatic.
Option 1: Journalistic
The events filmed are presented in a linear fashion starting with the morning preparations followed by the ceremony and finally ending with the reception or banquet. Most of the time your videographer will be filming everything discreetly from a corner using one or more cameras. Overall minimal editing is required as candid footage is preferred.
Photo by Affinity Pictures
Option 2: Highlights Express
Arguably, this style produces the shortest videos, because only a few events are featured in the whole video. Music, interview segments or quotes are added to make the transitions smoother. Working out a blueprint beforehand helps videographer decide which events to film. Most videos feature the morning preparation, the gate crash ceremony, the exchanging of vows and the reception.
Option 3: Artistic
You can be as creative as you like when deciding how to arrange the raw footage and varying the length of each clip. Once the sequence has been decided, the videographer will weave in background music, captions and voiceovers.
Photo by Annabel Law Productions
Option 4: Cinematic
Creative camera angles and panning shots are used while filming. During the editing the process, your videographer will add dramatic music, special effects and voiceovers to give the video the ‘wow’ factor you find in blockbuster trailers. The actual video is short, but extended highlights are often added at the end. These contain key moments like the exchanging of vows and the march-in at the banquet.
Option 5: Storytelling
The video may begin with either your courtship or your engagement photo shoot. In between each segment are short interview clips featuring your family and friends. They will be asked to provide short testimonials, comments or congratulatory messages. Occasionally voice overs are used to keep the story coherent. A lot more editing is needed for this style compared to the rest.
Photo by Iriswave
Step 2: Discuss These 5 Factors with Your Chosen Videographer
Besides keeping your budget in mind, you may want to ask about titling services, the overtime charges, the fees for every additional CD ordered and the rates for their wedding montages. Knowing these helps you estimate the amount you will be paying.
Budget
The cost of the wedding videography packages vary depending on what they are offering and how many add-ons you want, but they can range from $2,000 to $4,000.
Photo by Zonzon Productions
Fancy Wording
Never assume that your videographer would provide you with a comprehensive titling service as part of the package. Try to provide him with a brief outline of the titles and subtitles you would like in the video during this discussion, so he can advise you about any additional charges. Elaborated below are the different types of wording you can choose for your video:
Titles: These headings appear at the start of the video and at the start each new scene. Some commonly used titles are ‘John and Jane’s Wedding’, ‘Gate Crash Ceremony’, ‘Church Wedding’ and ‘Bouquet Toss’.
Subtitles: The information added throughout each clip to help the audience understand what is happening. The subtitles following the title ‘Church Wedding’ would be ‘March-in’, ‘Exchanging of Vows’ and ‘First Kiss’.
Name Keys: These usually state the name of the interviewee and their relationship with the couple. For example, ‘Mrs. X, Mother of the Bride’.
Credits: Rather than acknowledging the videography team at the end of the video, you can thank your family and friends, who helped make your wedding possible. Many couples include their bridal party, their parents and their master of ceremony.
Photo by Renatus Cinematography
Overtime Charges
Overtime charges vary from company to company. That’s why it’s important to discuss the overtime charges at the start. This gives you a clearer idea about what to expect in the event that you need to keep the videographer around for an additional hour or so. If you don’t want him to film continuously, you ought to provide a list of events your videographer should film on the actual day. Make sure all your requests are stated clearly in the contract before you sign it.
Photo by Visio Workz
Copyright
Your videographers are usually the ones who own the rights to your wedding video, hence they can charge you for an extra copies you request. You may be tempted to use your built-in DVD burner to make copies of your CD to avoid paying extra, but you should ask them first. Without their explicit permission, you will be infringing on their copyright. Always discuss the terms of use for your video and have it written clearly in black and white to avoid such complications in the future.
Wedding Montage
This video is a series of photographs that are pieced together to form a continuous clip that is usually accompanied by background music. While you don’t have to invest in one, a short montage is a more enjoyable way to share your wedding photographs with your friends and family. Not everyone has the time or the patience to browse through a gallery containing 200 to 300 photographs!
Photo by Chris Ling Photography
Following this two-step guide makes things a lot less tedious for you. When you have too many packages to compare, you get so bogged down by the various terms and different prices, that you won't know which to pick. By keeping to one particular videography style the same, you only need to focus on the contents in each package, as the prices for similar packages should not vary that much.
